Erithacus akahige
Silhouette: Rebecca Groom · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The Japanese robin (Larvivora akahige) is a small passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. This species was formerly named Erithacus akahige, or Komadori. Its range extends from the south of the Kuril and Sakhalin Islands throughout Japan.
The name "Japanese robin" is also sometimes used for the red-billed leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea). The specific name akahige is, somewhat confusingly, the common name of its relative Larvivora komadori in Japanese. The Japanese robin, together with the Ryukyu robin and the European robin, was previously placed in the genus Erithacus. A 2006 molecular phylogenetic study found that the two east Asian species were more similar to the Siberian blue robin, at the time in Luscinia, than to the European robin. In 2010 a large study confirmed this result and also found that Luscinia was non-monophyletic. The genus Larvivora was therefore resurrected to accommodate a clade containing the Japanese robin, the Ryukyu robin, the Siberian blue robin and several other species that had previously been placed in Luscinia.
The Japanese robin is about 14-15 centimeters in size. This bird species is mainly gray and bright orange. The male Japanese... Wikipedia →
Recording0:03
Japan · 2025
© Yuki_Wakabayashi · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Japan · 2026
© ponyomi · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Taiwan · 2023
© Roger Shaw · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuc Phuong National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 2 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Robin sighting in Nikko National Park on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 72nd most-seen of the 102 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Robin in Nikko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Japanese Robin sightings, Nikko National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Cuc Phuong National Park (Vietnam, about 10%).
Same family: Muscicapidae
The closest relatives of the Japanese Robin that you can see in Nikko National Park (family Muscicapidae, Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats) are Narcissus Flycatcher (about 30%), Amur Stonechat (about 30%) and Asian Brown Flycatcher (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Japanese Robin is recorded against all the birds logged in Nikko National Park (23 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
